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Day 123: The Consequence (SoS 3:1)

By night on my bed I sought the one I love; I sought him, but I did not find him. (Song of Songs 3:1) 

At the end of Chapter 2, the Bride asks the Beloved to turn away and return at a better time. She wasn't willing to work again under the sun. Probably because of her experience of being tanned, neglecting her vineyard to care for her brothers', and yet still incurring their anger. So she told him to turn away, scale the mountain that separated them and return in the cool of the day.

Our text today clearly shows that the Beloved did turn away as she asked. Such is our Beloved Jesus too. God honors men. He never overrides man's will and we see many examples in the scriptures.

When Israel wanted a king, even though it was not God's plan for them, He gave them a king.

When Jesus cast out a legion of devils from a man at Gadara, the people of the city did not welcome him. Instead, they asked him to leave. And He did.

Throughout the scriptures, we have many more examples of men turning God away. In our day and age, it still occurs. Some do it out of rebellion, some out of fear and not trusting God's love as they should. Every time we choose our way instead of His, we're saying to Him what the Bride said in SoS 2:17:

 Until the day breaks And the shadows flee away, Turn, my beloved, And be like a gazelle Or a young stag Upon the mountains of Bether. 

To turn God away is to disobey Him in both the big and the small things. When we disobey God, it grieves His heart, His Spirit within us. He never leaves though because the Holy Spirit within us fulfills God's promise from the Old Testament to not leave nor forsake us. This Holy Spirit dwells within us the moment we receive Jesus into our hearts and never leaves unless we renounce Jesus.

In moments of disobedience, however, when we choose our way instead of God's, we choose our flesh. Galatians 5:17 lets us know that the Spirit and the flesh oppose each other. When we choose the flesh, we lose awareness of God's presence. Every yes to God strengthens our spirits and increases our sense of His presence. Every no hardens our hearts and makes us insensitive and less aware of His indwelling presence.

The Song of Songs presents an allegory to that. Disobedience separates us from vital intimacy.

Isaiah 59:1-2 in the Message Translation says:

 Look! Listen! God’s arm is not amputated—he can still save. God’s ears are not stopped-he can still hear. There’s nothing wrong with God; the wrong is in you. Your wrongheaded lives caused the split between you and God. Your sins got between you so that he doesn’t hear. 

All sin is disobedience, but not all disobedience is sin. They both however have the same effect on our relationship with God - separation. In spite of all disobedience, God remains constant. We are the variable. When we disobey, we build walls/barriers that hinder intimacy with God. 

According to studies, when there is misunderstanding or quarrel between two people and communication breaks down, both parties feel separated, even if they are standing together. Physical proximity cannot bridge the gap until the issue is resolved.

So here the Bride separated from her Beloved, lying in bed all night seeking him. Yearned and longed for him. She waited for him, but he did not show up.

We can't have God on our terms. We can't walk with Him on our terms. He has established principles and precepts He won't go back on. Though we are one with Him and joint heirs with Christ, He is still God and we are His people. He remains Lord and we are His subjects.

In Lesson 30 (Jesus is King), we said that a revelation of Jesus as King whose word is law and final is a crucial foundation for intimacy. As we journey with our Beloved Jesus, we must always remember that acknowledging and following His Lordship and Kingship fuels our intimacy with Him. We can't have Jesus on our terms. Jesus' love does not erase His Lordship. 

PRAY WITH ME:

Dear Lord, in any way I have grieved You and Your Holy Spirit, I am sorry. Help my heart be sensitive to Your leading and nudging. Grant me the grace to recognize the nudge and promptly obey in Jesus name. Amen.

REFLECT AND ACT:

  • How conscious/aware are you of God's indwelling presence?
  • How sensitive are you to His nudging and leading? Do you know when you've put a barrier between yourself and Him?
  • What do you do to restore communion when separation happens?

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